Chapter 17 edited 8/9/2016
"I'm going to pretend you never said that."
Delina rolled her eyes. "You just have a bad taste in guys."
Now, it was Jasmine's turn to roll her eyes. "Delina, he's forty."
"Fifty," she corrected.
"Thirty-six," I corrected the both of them, looking up from my phone for a brief moment.
"He's not fifty?" Delina cried in horror. We both nodded. "My whole life is a lie."
"He doesn't even look fifty; get over yourself," Jasmine scoffed while painting her nails a deep crimson color.
Delina plunked down on my bed, landing with an 'oomph'. "Don't talk to me; I just discovered Adam Levine isn't fifty."
I rolled my eyes as I scrolled through Tumblr. "I can't believe you think he's fifty."
Before Delina could have time to mold a well thought retort, Christopher's head popped up from behind the door. "Girls, come downstairs."
As I prepared myself to stand up, his voice stopped me. "I didn't mean you," he retorted quite rudely. With a shrug, I plopped back down on my bed and spread out like a starfish.
Delina shot Christopher a glare. "Why isn't she coming?"
"Because I don't like her," he responded in an offhand manner, leaning against the doorframe.
Acting as if that comment didn't hurt, I forced a smile to appear on my face. "It's fine, guys. I'm actually okay with staying here."
Jasmine grabbed a jacket and flung it at me. "You're coming. Now get up."
My gaze flickered to Christopher, who simply quirked an eyebrow in a challenging fashion. "Maybe I should—."
Delina placed a hand up. "Save it. Meet us downstairs."
And with that, she grabbed Jasmine and dragged her out the room, leaving Christopher and me alone. "Now look what you've done," he hissed.
Looks like we're back to square one. I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Ignoring me, he pushed himself off the doorframe and exited the room. A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I fumbled with the jean jacket in my hands. Slipping my hands through the sleeves, I untucked my hair from the jacket and descended from the stairs. I tugged at my sleeves and stared at the group, choosing to sit beside Mason.
"Come on," Delina ushered us outside.
"Charge my phone!" I called to my mother, who was too busy speaking with Lauren. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I followed the group and shuffled my feet against the wet pavement.
The cold wind blew, allowing a cold gust of wind to surround us. It has been reasonably cold today; colder than usual. "Yo!" My head snapped upward to the sound of Delina's annoyed voice. "Hurry up."
A sheepish smile dotted my lips as I climbed into her car and put on my seatbelt. "I genuinely thought that Australia was hot all year around."
Delina scoffed, shaking her head. "What a stereotype. If you haven't noticed, Australia's really cold during the winter."
I nodded, allowing a small sigh to escape my lips. "Trust me, I noticed."
Much to my euphoric relief, Delina turned the heater on and a warm sensation filled the car. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally. In a matter of minutes, we reached a mall and I frowned in confusion. "Why are we here?"
"Adam wants to buy some tampons. His period is due tomorrow," Delina responded, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Snorting, I clambered out of the car and followed Delina as well as Jasmine, who were happily speaking between themselves. I, on the other hand, shuffled behind the group, occasionally bumping into someone. "Sorry," I apologized for what seemed to be the millionth time.
"Jeez, what is wrong with you today?" Delina muttered as we stopped in front of an arcade store called InterCity.
"Sorry, I was just thinking." I didn't lie though. I really was thinking. "What are we doing here?" I gestured to the building as they walked into it.
"I'm bored," Adam simply responded with a shrug. Pursing my lips, I nodded and followed the group towards the front counter. Folding my arms, I laid them on the counter after handing a certain amount of money to the lady behind the counter.
"Aye, so there was this cool—," I tuned Adam out as he dragged Mason towards a machine. As for Jasmine and Delina, they both trotted away from us after shooting me a coquettish wink. Rolling my eyes, I turned to face Christopher.
Ignoring me, he walked away from and I admired his back muscles for a second before hesitantly following him. He paused in front of a machine and I knitted my eyebrows together. "How do you play that?"
He didn't bother responding back to me and a small sigh escaped my lips. At least I tried. "Okay, I'll leave you to it," I muttered and then spun on my heels, attempting to find Delina and Jasmine. Once I found them, I watched as tickets sprouted out of the machine in front of them.
As Delina began counting the tickets, Jasmine turned to face me with a small smile playing on her lips. "What're you doing here?"
"He hates me, doesn't he?" I ignored her question, nodding my head in the direction of Christopher, who was speaking to Adam and Mason.
Jasmine had a befuddled expression on her face. "What?"
"Look at his face." I motioned to the smile on his face. "Now watch this."
Jasmine, looking confused, glimpsed between the two of us. "Hey, Christopher!" I called. Almost at once, his smile dropped and he twisted to face me with a hard glare.
"What do you want?" he hissed.
Turning back to face Jasmine, I gave her a pointed look. "See?"
Much to my surprise, Delina hunched over and began laughing. "Oh my god, this girl..."
I gave her a puzzled stare. "What?"
"You are so dumb and oblivious that it actually concerns me," she sighed, shaking her head. She thrust an arm over my shoulder and steered us away from him. "Girl, ever heard that when a guy has a crush on you, he acts meaner than he actually is?"
I actually began laughing, slapping my thighs. We had to pause in the center of the store because I was laughing too hard. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all year," I wiped a stray tear.
"Is she on drugs?" Delina whispered.
"No, you're on drugs. That is the most stupidest thing I've ever heard. Just forget it," I scoffed, walking past them.
The day Michael Jackson comes back to life will be the day Christopher gains a crush on me.
+ + +
"Stop it; that's disgusting," Christopher snapped for what appeared to be the millionth time. I found myself growing tired of his remarks that particular day. Every time I'd do something, he'd snap at me or completely verbally lash out on me.
I was actually holding onto Delina's words, until I realized that Christopher doesn't have a crush on me and he's just mean because that's the way he is. But then again, he seemed to grow that brash attitude only around me, because from what I've found out, he appears quite rambunctious around his friends.
I slowly stopped cracking my knuckles and put my hands to my sides. "Everyone cracks their knuckles," I defended myself poorly.
"It's still disgusting," he sneered.
As much as it killed me to not direct a retort towards him, I just lifted my shoulders in response. Christopher may be right. I was a burden. In fact, I felt like one. I felt like a burden for tagging along with his group of friends; for living with him; for having to communicate with him because his mother forced him to, and for simply being in the same area he's in. It really didn't help when he was glaring at me twenty-four seven.
Oh, well. I'll be gone in a month or so. Even though Christopher claims he doesn't dance, I'm fairly convinced he'd make his own little dance and start dancing the day I leave.
"Daniella," Delina spoke up to captivate my attention. I turned to stare at her expectantly. "My family's having this stupid barbecue tomorrow and I want to invite you. Your family can come, too."
"Oh," I forced out, blinking. "Okay."
"You'll come?"
I nodded. "Yeah, why not?"
She shuddered. "My parents are so embarrassing."
I let out a laugh. "Thank god we don't have siblings."
"It actually gets quite lonely, you know," she told me with pursed lips.
"Siblings aren't how they portray them in the movies; they're horrible in reality," Adam spoke up after taking a bite of his burrito.
"Winter isn't horrible," Delina responded. "You practically love her."
"Yeah, well, that's because I know how it feels to be lonely. She's the only sibling I've ever had," he excused. "Plus, I'm leaving to Uni in a few months. I probably won't see her in a long time."
"We're not going to see you for a long time either," Mason butted in with a frown.
"I've always wanted to study in Queensland, and plus, I'll come and visit," Adam told them.
Feeling like an intruder, I traced circles on the table and looked around the food court. Like me, Jasmine hadn't said a word. I could practically feel the awkward vibes between her and Adam, and I'd cringe every time.
"You okay?" I asked softly, nudging her. She snapped out of her stupor and managed to hand me an imperceptible nod. "I'll talk to him, don't worry."
Jasmine cracked a smile. "You don't have to. In all honesty, it doesn't bother me. He'll come around."
I shook my head. "You guys are so stubborn." I managed to leave out the part about how I was going to speak to him about the taboo topic tomorrow. I'll make sure of that myself.
+ + +
"Can you grab me a glass of water?" my father requested.
"I can't be bothered," I grumbled, but obliged anyway. Walking to the kitchen, I spotted Christopher mixing ice cream with what seemed to be Pepsi. "Are you doing witchcraft?"
He quietly sighed at the sound of my voice and I leaned my hip against the table, watching him mix the two ingredients. "What's the recipe called, Chef?"
"Spider drink," he muttered.
I furrowed my eyebrows, but didn't say anything. "Does it taste good?" I asked as he added a straw.
He surprised me by asking, "Do you want one?"
What if he poisons it? Once he caught the dubious look on my face, he offered an annoyed sigh. "Do I look like a serial killer?"
I glimpsed at the crazy glint in his eyes and nodded. "Honestly, you do."
He scoffed and then shook his head. "Look, do you want one or not? I have places to be at and things to do."
"Yeah, I do," I admitted, watching as he grabbed a cup. Pushing past him, I filled a cup full of water and walked to the living room. I handed the cup to my father, and then ambled back to the living room.
I watched as Christopher pushed the cup towards me and I gazed down at it. He raised his own cup towards him and sipped on it, raising an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for?"
"It looks poisoned."
He had a flat look on his face as I spoke up once again. "What's this?"
"They're sprinkles."
"Oh."
"I'm not going to prove anything to you. If you don't want it, throw it away. Now, goodbye." Lifting the straw to his mouth, he pushed past me and exited the kitchen.
With a loud sigh, I seized the cup and brought the straw to my mouth. Taking a sip, I actually felt impressed. Eureka, the Australian's actually created something delicious. Who would've guessed it?
Walking back to the living room, my father gazed at the cup in my hands with furrowed eyebrows. "Go get dressed. We have to be at your friends house in an hour."
Truth be told, I totally forgot about the barbecue. With a nod, I climbed up the stairs, careful not to spill anything. When I got to my room, I set my cup down on the nightstand and grabbed some clothes. After changing my clothes and throwing my hair into a neat bun, I walked down the stairs, not even bothering to wash my cup. I know my mom will eventually find it and then wash it for me.
You're so dependent. Agreeing with the voice in my head, I dipped my hands in my coat pocket and followed my family. Climbing into Christopher's car, I put on my seatbelt. "Who said you can come with me?"
"Why are you so cruel?" It's just a car, I wanted to add, though I knew how much his car meant to him, and I knew he'd probably ram his car into me if I openly belittled it.
"I'm cruel to people I hate. Simple as that."
"You hate me?"
Christopher scoffed. "And I thought it wasn't obvious."
I stared at him in disbelief for a moment before shaking my head and staring out the window. And we're back to square one. It seems as if we're taking one step forward, and two steps backward.
Okay, more like four steps backward.
In a matter of moments, we reached Delina's house and I wanted to cry. I just wanted to sleep. Is it that too much to ask? Rising out of Christopher's stupid car, I trudged towards my family and crossed my arms over my chest.
Lauren pressed her finger down on the doorbell and we waited around for a few seconds until the door swung open to reveal Delina's parents. They both wore vivid smiles on their faces as they greeted us and led us through the backyard. Almost at once, the smell of meat and something burning filled my nostrils. "Delina, you burned the sausages!" Jasmine cried, smacking her arm. "I was looking forward to them!"
"I never declared I was Chef Ramsey," Delina snapped, flipping the black sausages over. She threw the burnt sausages and sighed. Her eyes fell on me and her lips parted in a grin as she walked over towards me.
She yanked me into a hug and I hugged her back, finding it a bit overdramatic considering that we saw each other yesterday. "If it helps, I can't cook either," I told her as we made our way towards a few lawn chairs followed by Jasmine.
She winced. "You saw that?"
"Yeah, Chef Ramsey," I taunted with a mocking smile.
"I'm guessing I'm the only one who knows how to cook, yes?" Jasmine piped in as she plopped down on a lawn chair.
Ignoring her, my mouth opened in shock as a small puppy trotted toward us. "Is this yours?" I asked, allowing the puppy to sniff my hand. Delina nodded and I let out a deafening squeal. "It's so cute!" Picking it up, I began cooing as I scratched its ears.
"It took so much time to convince my parents. I've been begging them for months," she told us after shaking her head.
"I thought you didn't like animals," Jasmine muttered, licking her fingertip and turning the page of the magazine she recently picked up.
"Yeah, but puppies are an exception," I admitted as the puppy licked my face. "Ew," I wrinkled my nose, setting it down. "What'd you name it?"
"I haven't named it yet. Any suggestions?"
"Um..." I frowned, staring down at the puppy. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"A girl."
As Christopher walked towards us and kneeled down to pat it, I made the mistake of saying, "Maybe we should name it Christina."
He looked up with a scowl. "Are you insinuating that I'm a dog?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, actually."
"If it's a girl, you should name it Daniella," he addressed Delina, who by this point, was laughing her head off. "You know, because Daniella's a b—."
"I'm not a bitch!" I defended, digging my nails into my palms.
Christopher only stared at me with a raised eyebrow, and I let out an aggravated groan. He picked up the puppy and walked away from us, while I glared at his back. "You guys flirt so much," Delina commented after letting out a chuckle at our salty encounter.
I pointed towards the sky. "Is that a flying pig?"
Thankfully, Jasmine came to my defense. "Come on, Delina. Anyone with eyes and ears can tell that was not flirting."
Letting out a huge sigh, I allowed a smile to slip into my face. "Thank you."
Delina simply gestured to my cheek. "You might want to wash your face. Christina licked it," she joked and I cast her a glare. Standing up from my seat, I entered her house from the back door and ambled to the bathroom. Thank god I hadn't put makeup.
After washing my face and hands, I walked back outside and felt my mouth water at the mouthwatering smell. "Girls," I called. Delina and Jasmine looked up and I pointed to my camera. "I'm going to take a picture."
"Wait," Delina screeched and fixed her hair, causing me to laugh. Then, the corner of her lips lifted into a smile and I snapped a picture of the two of them smiling at the picture. I'm definitely going to miss them, I thought to myself.
The thought brought a frown to my face, and Delina, noticing this, patted the spot beside her. "What's up with you, sweet cheeks?" Lowering myself in the seat beside her, I simply shook my head. With an understanding nod, she pointed to my camera. "Can I look through your pictures?"
I nodded and watched as she looked through the pictures I'd taken. Every few minutes, she'd compliment me and I'd smile. "Who's this?" she eventually asked as a picture of my ex and me came up.
"My ex," I answered with a shrug.
"Are you guys still together?" she asked and I fed her a flat look.
"Delina, he's my ex," I repeated slowly and she nodded.
"Whoops," she muttered, scanning the picture. "He's hot."
I nodded. "I know." Even though we've broken up, I couldn't deny the fact that he was a sight for sore eyes.
"What's his name?"
"Saladin; he's Turkish," I cleared up, shrugging. Saladin was a major asshole, but I wasn't about to delve into our past together.
"He sounds yum."
"Whatever you say, Delina," I sighed.
Before long, my mother ordered us to help her prepare the table, so I stood up with a sigh and followed the girls inside. We helped set up the table and prepare plates, as well as position chairs around the table. "Smells delicious," I remarked.
Delina's mother smiled. "Thank you." I pulled out a chair and sat in-between Mason and Adam.
"We need to talk," I whispered while grabbing a fork.
Adam ignored me in response and shoved a forkful of food into his mouth.
Dick.
Everybody else chattered among themselves, except from me. The only thing I managed to do successfully was stuff my face with food. "I swear her boobs are fake," Delina exclaimed a little too loudly. Her mother shot her a sharp glare and she apologized before taking a casual sip of her soda.
After we finished eating, I helped them pile up the dishes and set them in the kitchen, leaving our mothers to chatter among them selves. Mason, Adam and Jasmine's mothers managed to make it too, managing to crowd the kitchen in the process.
Dropping a plate in the sink, I walked back outside towards Delina and Mason, who were looking over the fence. Due to their height, they could pick up pretty much everything without having to stand on their tiptoes. I wasn't tall, but then again, I wasn't short either. Though, in comparison to Mason and Christopher, I looked like Santa's elf.
"Is that a park?" I asked.
"Yeah, it gets noisy at times," Delina complained.
I nodded in understanding as my eyes roamed around the backyard. To the side stood our fathers, all laughing among them selves with smiles decorating their features. On the other side sat Winter, as well as Delina's puppy. Jasmine and Mason, as well as Delina, didn't have any siblings.
Well, Mason did, but she died a few years back. It sort of explained his quiet and somewhat melancholic persona. When I heard the news, I felt really upset. But Mason claimed that it was seven years ago; he was only eleven. He still missed her, that, I was sure of.
With a sigh, I turned to face Delina. "I'm being serious; what are you going to name your dog?"
"Daniella," she responded with a short-lived laugh.
I shook my head. "You're so annoying," I muttered as I pushed past her and made my way towards Christopher. He looked down at me with clear annoyance written on his face. "Where's Adam?" Please don't respond with 'up your ass'.
As if catching the urgent look in my face, he offered a quiet sigh. "He's in the front yard." Nodding, I entered the household and yet again, exited it through the front door. I waited until Adam finished his phone call until I spoke up.
"Not you again," he groaned quietly.
I dropped down on the steps and stared at him with my hands shoved in my pockets. "I didn't mean it like that," he added in a quieter voice.
"Come sit."
I managed to perceive him roll his tongue over his teeth before he slowly lumbered towards me. "I'm going to ask for the millionth time: what's going on with you and Jasmine?"
"I'm going to say this for the millionth time: mind your own business."
"She's my friend, Adam."
"She's my friend, too."
"Yeah, a friend that you hurt," I rejoined after letting out a scoff.
"I didn't mean to," he explained, clear irritation seeping through his tone. Geez, almost everybody finds me annoying.
But I don't blame them, though. I tend to get annoying.
"I'm just looking out for the both of you," I responded.
"You don't even know us that well. You're only staying here for a few of months, so quit acting like you know it all."
I was torn between wanting to punch him and wanting to cry. "Alright," I muttered, giving up. I stood up and headed back inside, plopping down on the couch in front of the T.V. Everybody else was outside, which gave me some time to myself.
I really needed to quit feeling sorry for myself, but I couldn't help but feel hurt that Christopher and Adam now hated me. Actually, I'm pretty sure Christopher hated me a long time ago. And as for Delina and Jasmine, I felt like they were somehow forced to interact with me.
Grabbing the remote, I switched the T.V on and sat cross legged on the couch. Halfway through the show I was watching, I spotted Christopher enter the house with Delina's puppy scooped in his hands.
As if he just noticed me sitting there watching him like a creep, his head snapped upwards and he raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked, lowering himself on the couch to the left of me. I motioned to the T.V in front of me and he nodded. "I'm going to get her some food; she looks hungry."
I continued watching Scream Queens until Christopher returned back with a red bowl in his hands. He set it down in front of the puppy and I watched as it eagerly began digging in. "Turn this; it's boring."
"I came here first."
Instead of putting up a fight like I expected him to, he simply sighed before leaning back in the couch, one of his legs hugged to his chest while the other one was extended in front of him. He stared down at his phone in his hand and I sadly sighed before looking back at the T.V.
"So what did you want from Adam?" Christopher spoke up curiously after moments of silence. My eyes flitted to him, and I noticed that he was still staring down at his phone.
I internally winced as I recalled the lovely conversation we had. "Nothing."
"That wasn't 'nothing'," he pointed out, finally tucking his phone back in his pocket and resting his chin on his knee.
He stared at me expectantly and I found my cheeks heating up under the scrutiny of his intense gaze. I hope it's not obvious. But then again, this was Christopher we're talking about. He picks up virtually everything. With narrowed eyes, he went to open his mouth but I beat him to it.
"I said nothing," I repeated. There was a pain growing in my throat, and I had the urge to cry.
Embarrassingly, I did.
I didn't even have the time to stop the tears from leaking. They simply rolled down my cheeks effortlessly, and I sat there like a complete and utter idiot, sniffling quietly to myself. When I looked up at Christopher, his brown eyes had gone wide. "I'll be right back," he said, then rose up from the couch with a hard look on his face. I wanted to ask where he was going, but he was already out of the living room when I opened my mouth.
Sighing to myself, I stood up from the couch and approached the empty backyard, looking over at the fence. Without nobody watching, I swung my leg over the fence and jumped down onto the grass, a small whimper escaping my mouth. Being short sucks. Then, I commenced running down the park until I reached a set of swings. Not many people were here, much to my utter satisfaction. The only people in sight were two old women seated on a bench and a man walking his dog.
I wiped at my wet cheeks, and allowed the cold air to cool me down. That was so humiliating. I'm never showing my face again. I must've spent half an hour just sitting there, because when I looked up, Mason was jogging towards me. His cheeks were flushed red, and his breathing was heavy. "Hey," he greeted quietly.
I forced a smile. "Hi," I muttered, tucking a strand of my brown hair behind my ear. Mason fed me a short smile, and then dropped his figure down on the swing beside me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his blue eyes fixated on the ground.
I nodded. "Yeah, why?" I lied.
He chuckled, a little nervously. "I was a bit freaked out when I didn't find you back at my house. Then I figured you'd probably be here," he informed me.
I smiled down at my feet. "Yeah, I just needed to clear my mind."
"I know that it's not any of my business, but did something happen between you and Adam?"
I let go of a heavy sigh. "It's not just that. It's...everything. Christopher, feeling like a burden, having a constant low self esteem...I don't know," I mumbled.
Mason's blue eyes roamed around my face for a short while. "Look, I know the whole Christopher thing is upsetting you, but he doesn't hate you. Trust me on this. He acts like he does because he's scared to get close. I'm pretty sure he has feelings for you. I mean, he kissed you at the party and— oh shit, I wasn't supposed to say that," he cut himself off, his eyes growing wide.
I nearly choked on my spit. What? "He's the one who kissed me at the party?" I asked quietly.
Mason winced, then offered a small nod. "Pretty much, yeah," he mumbled.
I stared at the ground with wide eyes. Yet, I couldn't help but feel my mood lift up. Could it really be? Christopher having a heart? "He...kissed me," I murmured. And then, I jumped up from the swing and grinned widely. "He kissed me!" I didn't know why I was so happy. I shouldn't be.
But I am.